I'm Not Sick... Really.

As you may know, I have aspirations of being a published children's author. Well, right now I'm vomiting a book. I use that phrase because the words are gushing out of me; they're ugly, and they stink. I know they won't always be that way. But right now, every time I sit down to type, the words flow and flow. I've never experienced this before. It's weird. But I like it.

I'm not going to tell you what it's about just yet. But I will tell you that I already have a character who's doing things I don't want him to do. And he's not a kid.

Is the suspense killing you as much as it's killing me?

Get THIS!

A friend of mine blogged about this today, and it's a very blogworthy story, so I'm going to tell you about it here.

Yesterday, a teacher at our high school had a heart attack. During class. With students present. This same teacher had invited an EMT to do a presentation for his class. So, as the EMT is presenting, the teacher collapses. The EMT goes from presenting to doing; he saves the teacher's life, keeps everyone else calm and manages to get an ambulance to the school. And the kids get to see what a real hero looks like.

Coincidence? Luck?

Hardly.

As my friend said, "He may not be invited in, but God is in our schools."

As both a teacher and a parent, I'm doubly thankful for that!

Move Over, Psycho!

I readily and willingly admit that I have an irrational fear/hatred of jellyfish. Even typing that word gives me a little shiver. I can't explain it. All I know is they have absolutely no business whatsoever on this planet. I can't look at them at aquariums or even on t.v. I won't even draw or craft them at school for my kindergartners.

I've never been stung. I once hit some cabbage heads with an oar while kayaking in the Gulf of Mexico (that expedition ended with my husband rowing us back at super speed because I was frozen with fear).

Irrational, I know. But wait.

Last night my insanity reached new heights. I had just stepped into the shower. I rinsed my face and as I shook off my hands, the water droplets hit the glass, then ran down the side, forming the horrendous silhouettes of what appeared to be a hundred tiny jellyfish sliding down the shower stall. There was only one thing to do. I picked up the squeegee and "erased" the disgusting little buggers.

As if I needed one more reason to take baths.

Does anyone else need a good therapist?

Around the World in My Kitchen

Further proof of my randomness:

Monday: Fetuccine alfredo with garlic breadtwists and stuffed mushrooms (all made from scratch, thank you very much)

Tuesday: Japanese cabbage pancakes (learned to make them when I went to Japan)

Wednesday: Chili (my daughter's favorite - she found out that day she was getting 4 teeth pulled in preparation for braces)

Thursday: Leftovers (I had a church meeting that night)

Friday: Thai food at a restaurant - beef satay with peanut sauce and shrimp pad-thai.

Saturday: I couldn't make up my mind, so I made two stir-fries. One was a garlic-sesame beef number and the other was a chicken/veggie combo. Jasmine rice included, of course.

I love to travel, eat, and cook. And yes, sometimes all at once. Can you tell?

I'm Just Sayin'...

It would seem lately that there are a lot of divisive issues out there. There are issues we might have never thought about before, even in a million years. There are things we feel strongly about; and there are those we would die for.

I was recently called a "stupid, ignorant skeptic" for saying that I was not going to get the H1N1 vaccine. My reason has nothing to do with media hype or even religious conviction. I simply choose to opt out because I've gotten the flu 3 out of 5 times after receiving the seasonal flu shot. I'm just sayin' I wouldn't go to Vegas with those odds. I wasn't trying to persuade anybody one way or the other. I was simply stating my own personal reason for making my own personal choice. Living under the good 'ol stars and stripes allows me said choice. If I get the H1N1 virus, I accept full responsibility. I will also do the responsible thing and STAY HOME.

Really!?! Stupid and ignorant?

If there are going to be issues out there that divide us, let's at least be divided over issues that matter. And let's do it without resorting to name calling.

Random Thought About Tucson

I went to school in Tucson, at the University of Arizona (GO CATS!). Some of my favorite places in Tucson included Grandma Tony's Pizza (a mushroom slice to die for) McKale Center (home of the NCAA Men's Basketball Champions) and a place called Eegees.

Eegees is a sandwich shop, but that's not what they're known for. They have these slushes, that everyone calls eegees. "What flavor eegee are you gonna get?" When you're wearing a hot (I mean that in the literal sense) polyester band uniform at a Saturday afternoon football game in Tucson in September, nothing hits the spot like a frozen lemon eegee.

Today at the grocery store as I was perusing the ice cream section, I noticed that they had these little frozen lemonade cups on sale. I could never expect a factory-made, mass produced frozen lemonade to even come close to the bliss that is an eegee, but I had to give it a try.

I'm waiting for the kids to get home from school so that I can give it to them. They'll think it's a real treat.

By the way, my husband proposed to me at Eegees.

Do you pine for a hard-to-get-treat from your past?

200,000 Reasons to be Thankful

I called my friend Stacee on Saturday afternoon. It had been a while since we'd hung out. "What are you doing tonight?" I asked.
"We're having a birthday party for our car!" she replied. She then explained how her Dodge Caravan had recently turned 200,000 miles and she promised her kids that they could throw a party for it. Her four kids had gotten up at 7:00 that morning and baked a cake. The 10-year-old supervised and the 2-year-old topped it with his toy vans. Stacee invited my family to come over later for pizza and birthday cake. As someone who has worked as an automotive journalist, I could hardly pass up such a momentous event.

We arrived at the appointed hour. We ate delicious pizza, drank ginger ale until our noses tickled, and sang "Happy Birthday" to the van. It was great!

This may seem like a really silly thing, but here's what I learned that night:

1. Gratitude for a car that has lasted 200,000 miles (and counting) vs. complaining about an old car that has 200,000 miles is the right perspective to have in life.

2. Stacee's kids (and in turn, my kids) had a wonderful time learning lesson #1.

Thanks, Stacee for a fun time. I can't wait until my car turns 200,000 miles! (Only 70,000 more to go)!